Andrea Vance | Sunday Star Times | 12 Oct 2014
OPINION: Welcome to the politics of fear. Chiming in with other Western governments, Prime Minister John Key has signalled he will once again overhaul spying legislation. Last year, foreign spying powers were beefed up, on the pretext of an illegal snooping scandal. This time around, Key is set to soften up the public with a speech later this month, amplifying the threat of “terrorism tourists”. There are already (at least) four reasons to be wary.
1. TERROR THREAT ALERT: UNKNOWN
Western intelligence agencies fear the Islamic State (Isis) is recruiting foreign jihadis, training them to return and attack their home countries. Western passports that grant easier access to terror targets – especially in the United States – are prized. As well as this, al Qaeda in Iraq and Islamic State have adapted from previous counter-terrorism operations and are proving much harder to monitor. Five Eyes spy agencies want greater powers and UK and Australian governments recently blew the dog whistle on this transnational threat and signed off a raft of new laws. No evidence is publicly available to show New Zealand is facing an increased risk. In February, Key said only a handful of passports have been cancelled since a law change in 2005. New Zealand doesn’t declare its threat risk, and Key talks about national security issues only when it suits a political end, so on this impending Islamist onslaught we have only his word.
2. IS THAT GOOD ENOUGH?
No. To date, on high-profile intelligence matters, Key has been slippery. He was dishonest about the curious appointment of spy boss Ian Fletcher – he claimed not to know him, but it later turned out that Fletcher was an old school chum. He has repeatedly refused to answer questions about the death of Kiwi Daryl Jones in a drone strike – despite using the death for political point scoring over the new Government Communications Security Bureau legislation.
And he was contradicted over the activities of the National Security Agency by whistleblower Edward Snowden and Glenn Greenwald. Last month, Snowden forced him to admit GCSB and NSA were working on plans for mass surveillance as the GCSB laws were passing through Parliament. Key rescinded the project, but its existence was kept secret throughout intense public debate over the legislation.
3. WHY SO SECRET?
The public has again been kept in the dark about intelligence plans. Security matters dominated the last week of the election campaign, and yet Key kept a lid on the latest proposals. With a 48 per cent party vote share, he can cynically claim a mandate, but it is disquieting. He has also delegated warrant signing and day-to-day intelligence business to Chris Finlayson, which insulates him from tricky questions.
4. IS THIS REALLY ABOUT THE -UP IN THE MIDDLE EAST?
Fighting alongside Isis and Jabhat Al-Nusra is already a criminal offence. Under the Terrorism Suppression Act, they are designated terrorist entities making it an offence to take part in or support their activities – worth up to 14 years in jail. The legislation allows for these acts to have taken place outside New Zealand. Experts suspicious of the expansion of surveillance powers in Australia have judged they have nothing to do with jihadis – and are aimed at countering economic espionage – a threat much less likely to strike fear into the hearts of the people, and make them more accepting of change.